NPDC to create opportunities for host communities

PORT HARCOURT: Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, has assured that it would continue to be actively involved in resolving primary challenges in its host communities.

The firm in a statement,said it would create empowerment opportunities in the communities, adding that 24 out of the 94 projects so far listed for attention would be completed at the end of the first quarter of the year.

According to NPDC, February 1st made it one year it had been operating in OMLs 34 & 40 and OML 30, stressing that it would continue to support development and capacity building measures in its areas of operations.

“One of the cardinal principles of NPDC with regards to its host communities is meeting the primary needs of the communities through improving the wellbeing of members of the community especially, the family units; decreasing poverty levels; and enhancing the productive and income generating capacities of community members,” the statement read.

While urging the various communities to protect its facilities and pipelines, the company said it would establish a trust to assist them in the exercise, stressing that incident-free communities would also be rewarded with bonuses.

“The company expects the communities to protect its facilities including flow lines and export pipelines within the community domains. A trust will be established into which the money for such protection is paid. As an added incentive, incident-free communities will be given bonuses, while those with security breakdown will receive fewer trust funds. Thus the community owns both its own development and will take responsibility of the protection of NPDC facilities.”

NPDC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, also promised to award annual scholarship to students in its areas of operations, noting that a scholarship examination was held recently at the Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State for nominated candidates.